After two years, and being with four other groups, Next Phaze was finally formed in 2000. As a group—Chris Dacoron, Rich Gaddi, Delfin Lazaro, and Carlo “J-ricz” Ricafort—performed for six years in cities throughout California, and Georgia, Washington and Nevada. Together, Next Phaze, hoped to break barriers by succeeding in the mainstream music industry. Over their six-year journey, Next Phaze established their independent label and released their first self-titled EP album in 2003. Next Phaze later released their full length album entitled, Back to the Mic, on August 2006. As a songwriter for many of Next Phaze’s songs, J-ricz’s music has also been in included in various compilation CDs, and also featured in Lumpia, a Filipino independent film.